Nothing is forgotten and nobody is left behind or An Elephant Never Forgets

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On the 10th of April 2011 by order of Oleg Gaidukevich, the head of Frunzensky police department in Minsk at the time,eighteen activists of “Our House” were arrested in the flat of Valery Schukin.

In the subsequent police reports regarding this detention, four of the arrested activists, including a human rights activist Pavel Levinov and a journalist Oleg Borschevsky, appeared as suspects in the case of the terrorist act of April 11, 2011. Such framing was extremely dangerous and meant that despite nobody in “Our House” planed or executed an act of terrorism, at least four members of “Our House” could have become new victims of this case and be shot dead as other suspects who were found guilty after a hasty court hearing and were prescribed the capital punishment.

Several activists witnessed the detention of their colleagues recall:

“…Valery Schukin just left the flat… when he was taken by the police officers. From the balcony of the flat located on the ground floor I was talking to the police. We were given only five minutes to make up our mind and let them in voluntarily; otherwise, they threatened, they would break the door and get in anyway. When the police at last made it into the flat they immediately started to hectically look for something. There were only hot and cold soft beverages on the table. They seemed to be irritated by the absence of the alcoholic drinks. How come? So many adults and no vodka on the table?..” (Andrei Aksenov, one the leaders of “Our House”)

“It was by the order of Oleg Gaidukevich that I was abused by his best friend Dinas Linkus. The latter beat me and as he was doing so he convincingly described how he would perversely rape me. Later Dinas Linkus seriously damaged his subordinate and served four years in prison for this. To me personally that night at the police cost two serious surgeries on my hip.” (Olga Karach, one the leaders of “Our House”)

“I was shocked at how the police was going about taking fingerprints. Everything was in the form of order. One mature female activist from Mogilev refused to follow their orders. She was forcefully sat on the chair, somebody was holding her head while she was photographed… with her eyes closed.” (Tamara Blinova, one the leaders of “Our House”)

It was Oleg Gaidukevich who ordered to keep Valery Schukin for eight hours handcuffed and bare foot in a chilly room with concrete floors. The traces of those handcuffs can be seen on Valery’s wrists even today, five years later. Above mentioned Dinas Linkus threatened Valery with setting his beard on fire and rape.

In addition to false arrests of and repressions against activists of “Our House” Oleg Gaidukevich:

Personally lead the brutal suppression of the “Silent Protests” in summer 2011;

Tortured members of various NGOs and political parties;

Sent to prison activists opposing the regime on the falsified grounds. At least one hundred non-guilty activists of the “Malady Front” (The Young Front) were illegally imprisoned due to the falsified reports of Oleg Gaidukevich;

Lead the kidnapping of journalists and activists who took part in the “Silent Protests” in 2011;